Just over a week ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a short but stunning video through social media that generated global shock waves, including a scathing response from the US State Department.

As stated or implied in several Eye of Prophecy articles, I am an unapologetically strong supporter of Israel and an ardent admirer of Benjamin Netanyahu. This enthusiasm for Israel comes from my firm belief in the true and living God; His Word as divinely recorded in the Bible; and personal salvation through God’s Son, the Jewish Messiah Jesus.

Benjamin Netanyahu is a consummate diplomat in all of the positive connotations of political diplomacy. He is firm but fair; passionate in his pursuit for true peace in Israel but objectively realistic of the obstacles to peace; completely committed to Israel, but considerate of any reasonable coherent demands made by the Palestinians and by surrounding Arab nations. When it comes to a matter of Israel’s survival, which is still an all too real threat facing the only Jewish nation in the world, Benjamin can tell it like it is.

Nevertheless, I was dumbfounded as I watched this video and listened to his words. My incredulity was not of being aghast that he would characterize the actual Palestinian agenda—whether it be from the Palestinian Authority or Hamas—of “ethnic cleansing” of all Jews in Israel. Rather, it was astonishment of how bravely accurate and daringly appropriate the phrase is to explain the real reason why Palestinians have rejected a two-state proposal on any terms but their own.

For example, it’s only been a few years since the Palestinians refused generous offers from two Israeli Prime Ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert, that would allow Palestinian control over some 95% of the West Bank. Why would they scorn such offers? Easy answer: 95% of the West Bank is not enough. For that matter, 95% of all Israel is not enough. In fact, a Palestinian State within Israel is also unacceptable. By the time you finish this article, you’ll see what the Palestinians really want: A Palestinian State instead of Israel!

Personally, I would not have used the phrase, ethnic cleansing, because it conjures up the more common image: forced removal of ethnic or religious groups of people from a given territory. Yet, the more I thought about Netanyahu’s use of the term, the more I realized how it reliably reflected the true Palestinian narrative.

For many, the thought of genocide even comes to mind. Such as what the Third Reich did to European Jews and nearly succeeded; what the Turks did to the Armenians, or what happened in Yugoslavia. What Muslims in the Sudan are doing to the Christians; or what the Romans did to Israel in 70 AD that resulted in Jews being exiled all over the world. Only to miraculously return and be reborn as a sovereign nation in 1948. A return that is still going on to this day. One that God said would take place, as documented in hundreds of Old Testament passages.

(Holocaust Genocide)

Various Ways of Ethnic Cleansing

Ethnic cleansing can be accomplished by means others than elimination of ethnic groups through extreme force. The pendulum can swing all the way from genocide to a lesser, but still imposing, intimidation through limited violence or non-violent pressure that results in the ethnic group leaving their homes.

Such as, for example, the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who left Israel because they were told to do so by the Arab nations (especially Egypt and Syria) which attacked the newborn State of Israel in May, 1948. That was ethnic cleansing of Arabs by Arabs. The rationale of Egyptian and Syrian leaders/generals was that they needed unhindered space to conduct their military campaign against Israel. The Palestinians (they weren’t called Palestinians back then) were in the way, so they were told to leave. Theoretically, they could return after Israel had been swiftly and soundly defeated. Israel miraculously won that war and told the “refugees” they could return; most did not.

Many people, who don’t know or don’t want to know, now believe that these “refugees” were forced out of Israel by the Jews. That is not what happened. But then the individuals, groups, and nations who blame Israel entirely for the Palestinian predicament don’t want to be bothered with historical or contemporary facts. The actual evidence would undermine their predisposed prejudice against the Jews and interfere with their pernicious plan for Israel, which (in varying degrees) is to replace the State of Israel with yet another Arab nation. An Arab state that the Arabs, themselves, originally declined in 1947. Why? For the same reason they did not acknowledge the Balfour Declaration of 1917: They would have to live alongside a Jewish territory, and then a Jewish State.

A more subtle strategy of ethnic cleansing is the removal, desecration, or denial of physical and cultural evidence that the targeted group has any valid historical existence in the land in question. The Palestinians have done all these things to Israel by excavating and then removing valuable Jewish artifacts from and around Temple Mount, Hebron, and Bethlehem. Also the rewriting of Israel’s history in Palestinian school curriculum, maps that depict Israel as “Palestine” (a state that never has existed), and in daily rhetoric denial of Israel’s legacy and heritage in the land.

That is the ultimate problem: Israel’s right to exist. The Palestinians and all Muslim nations save two (Egypt and Jordan … for political expedience only) deny the right of Israel to be a Jewish nation. But the Palestinians have tried to conceal this ambition so as not to jeopardize their cause by being too blatant in the eyes of Western nations. Thus, they focus the world’s attention on so-called Israeli settlements in the West Bank as the exclusive obstacle to peace. Pathetically, but sadly, virtually the entire European Union and also the United States Executive Staff have bought into this inaccurate and unhistorical “Israeli occupation.”

When, in fact, it’s just the opposite: Palestinians are occupying land that historically belongs to Israel.

If someone denies that, then they must challenge God, himself. Seriously!

Excerpts from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Astonishing Video

He began with these words:

“I’m sure many of you have heard the claim that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the West Bank, are an obstacle to peace. I’ve always been perplexed by this notion, because no one would seriously claim that nearly two million Arabs living inside of Israel are an obstacle to peace. That’s because they aren’t. On the contrary, Israel’s diversity shows its openness and readiness for peace. Yet the Palestinian leadership actually demands a Palestinian State with one pre-condition: No Jews!

“There’s a phrase for that. It’s called ethnic cleansing.”

(Prime Minister Netanyahu “Ethnic Cleansing” Video)

Let’s pause here for commentary. Benjamin Netanyahu knows there are other Arab demands. He chose the “No Jews” pre-condition because it is the ultimate Palestinian purpose that trumps all other (alleged) reasons for wanting a Palestinian State.

The Palestinians have imposed several “pre-conditions” on Israel. They go back and forth as to which of these are pre-conditions Israel must meet before the Palestinians agree to sit down at the negotiating table with the Israelis. At one time or another all of the Palestinian demands have been “pre-conditions.” At other times only some of these are pre-conditions, with other demands open for negotiation. It pretty much depends upon Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ (who is now in the 11th year of a four-year election term!) mood at the time.

Here are the primary Palestinian demands:

The so-called “right of return” of the so-called Palestinian refugees—now mostly 2nd generation descendants—from Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. (They now number in the millions and even if half of this number were to return it would, for all practical purposes, spell the end of a Jewish nation).

Gaza and West Bank checkpoints to be turned over by the Israelis to the Palestinians.

Many more Palestinians prisoners to be released, including convicted murderers.

For Israel’s “borders” to shrink back to pre-1967 Six-Day War truce lines. (This would leave Israel highly vulnerable, if not defenseless, especially in the Golan Heights).

A Palestinian State with what is known as “East Jerusalem” as its capital. (Which would include complete possession of and sovereignty over Temple Mount).

Complete expulsion of all Jews from the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).

The last condition listed above is one that the Palestinians have attempted to keep relatively low-key. Why? Because they don’t want to be viewed in the same fashion that they want the world to see Israel (which Israel is not), i.e. a bigoted apartheid type nation that seeks to be rid of an ethnic group they despise.

That is why Benjamin Netanyahu limited his speech to this one Palestinian demand before they will enter into negotiations with the Israelis. It represents the ultimate objective of Palestinians (and all Muslim nations): To get rid of all Jews in Israel, beginning with the so-called West Bank territory.

This is nothing less than “ethnic cleansing.”

Which isn’t anything new. Which is why Benjamin Netanyahu wants the world to finally and fully realize the perpetual plan of the Palestinians that hasn’t (and won’t) changed since Israel became a Sovereign State … actually long before that when it comes to Muslim nations that surround Israel.

For example: In 1996, just three years after his farcical participation in the Oslo Accords (signed on September 13, 1993) with Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (moderated by US President Bill Clinton), PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat uttered these words at a public press conference:

“We Palestinians will take over everything … You understand that we plan to eliminate the State of Israel, and establish a purely Palestinian State … I have no use for the Jews, they are and remain Jews.”

Can anything be more callously clear? It’s equally clear to this very day: The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have every intention to continue Arafat’s atrocious agenda.

(Oslo Accord … Yitzhak Rabin, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat)

Prime Minister Netanyahu went on to say:

“And this demand (no Jews in a Palestinian State) is outrageous. It’s even more outrageous that the world doesn’t find this outrageous. Some otherwise enlightened countries even promote this outrage. Ask yourself this: Would you accept ethnic cleansing in your state? A territory without Jews, without Hispanics, without blacks? Since when is bigotry a foundation for peace?

This moment, Jewish children in Judea and Samaria are playing in sandboxes with their friends. Does their presence make peace impossible? I don’t think so. I think what makes peace impossible is intolerance of others.”

The Real Situation in Israel

My commentary: I have read extensively about Israel’s ancient and contemporary history, and have seen numerous documentaries about the Holocaust and the Palestinian intifadas in Israel, especially the one that began in September, 2000. I have traveled to Israel and saw no evidence whatsoever of Jewish animosity toward the Palestinians as a whole. Of course, they are saddened and angered when Palestinians kill Jews; but they are still tolerant of the existence of Arabs within Israel.

I spent some time with two taxi-drivers in Jerusalem. One of them was part Jewish and part Egyptian, the other a former Palestinian Arab, both of whom became Israeli citizens. Both of them were, in varying degrees, representative of the nearly “two million Arabs living inside of Israel” (Netanyahu’s description), called Israeli Arabs. Though one staunchly supported the State of Israel and the other barely tolerated Israel’s existence, the fact remains that neither would want to be forced to live in a Palestinian State. Both highly valued their freedom to work, travel, vote, and otherwise live in Israel, the only true democratic state in the Middle East.

Some 70% of Israeli Arabs do not want a Palestinian State. Here is an excerpt from an Eye of Prophecy article, entitled, A Palestinian State … No Say Many Arabs (posted 1-11-14).

I quote well-known columnist Khaled Abu Toameh from one of his articles:

“Arab Knesset members … do not want to wake up in the morning and discover that they are citizens of a Palestinian state. It is much easier for them to accuse Israel of racism than to admit that they do not want to be part of a Palestinian state.”

I then go on to say:

At face value that seems and sounds incredible—that Palestinians wouldn’t want to be governed by their own people. But after further review, it’s all too practical and easy to grasp. Pretty much ever since Israel became a nation, and especially since 1967 when hundreds of thousands more Arabs suddenly became citizens of Israel, those Israeli Arabs have been far better off than their Palestinian brothers living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Although there’s still a lot of hostility emanating from Israeli Arabs toward Israel, they understand that Israeli citizenship affords them much more freedom, democracy, a higher standard of living, movement throughout Israel, more places to shop for and buy the things they want and need; in short, a better way of life. The last thing they want is an abruptly changed life in a Palestinian State, controlled by a Palestinian government that could just as quickly take away many of the privileges they currently enjoy as Israeli citizens.

Even many Palestinians (non-Israeli citizens) who occupy the West Bank or Gaza do not want a Palestinian State. Especially since Hamas took over Gaza. If a Palestinian State was arbitrarily and unilaterally created by say the European Union, the United Nations, the P5 +1, or even the United States alone, who would govern this state? The Palestinians know that, in all likelihood, a civil war would erupt between Hamas and Fatah (Palestinian Authority), which would entice Iran, Hezbollah, ISIS, and perhaps even Russia to jump in. Not to mention Israel’s reaction if any Israelis were harmed in this struggle between Palestinian factions.

In addition to Khaled Abu Toameh’s perceptive understanding of the Middle East problems and their true historical source, there is another Arab who tells it like it is. His name is Fred Maroun, currently a resident of Canada, who lived in Lebanon from 1961 to 1984.

Although Arabic through and through, he looks at Israeli/Palestinian history objectively. The September edition of the Levitt Letter (Zola Levitt Ministries) presented a very brief bullet-point summary of articles written by Fred Maroun, originally published in the on-line news source Gatestone Institute, entitled, Arabs’ Historic Mistakes in Interactions with Israel.

“We Arabs managed our relationship with Israel atrociously. Our worst mistake was in not accepting the United Nations partition plan of 1947.

Perhaps one should not launch wars if one is not prepared for the results of possibly losing them.

The Jews are not keeping the Arabs in camps, we are.

Jordan integrated some refugees, but not all. We could have proven that we Arabs are a great and noble people, but instead we showed the world, as we continue to do, that our hatred toward each other and toward Jews is far greater than any concept of purported Arab solidarity.”

Bowing to internal pressure from his own people, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for elections to be held October 8, 2016. But Abbas totally misjudged Hamas, as he thought they would boycott the elections … exactly what he wanted them to do. Instead, they agreed to participate and introduced their own candidates.

Just last week, the elections were postponed!

Talk about Palestinian prejudice and bigotry. Obviously based on the Islamic religion that suppresses woman to the point of complete subjugation to men, the Palestinian Authority refused to identify some of their woman candidates for office by name. Instead, they listed them as the “wife” or “sister” of so and so. Little wonder that they have zero tolerance for Jews, when they won’t even publicly acknowledge their wives and daughters by name … and certainly not by photograph. On the other hand, if a Palestinian woman or girl kills a Jew or two in a lone-wolf terrorist attack, their names are immediately publicized and photographs posted.

Getting back to Benjamin Netanyahu’s video. He concludes by saying:

“Societies that respect all peoples are the ones that pursue peace. Societies that demand ethnic cleansing don’t pursue peace. I envision a Middle-East where young Arabs and young Jews learn together, work together, live together, side-by-side in peace. Our region needs more tolerance, not less. So the next time you hear someone say Jews can’t live somewhere, let alone in their ancestral homeland, take a moment to think of the implications.

“Ethnic cleansing for peace is absurd. It’s about time somebody said it. I just did.”

Telling It like It Is

Boy, did he ever say it!

Not only did Benjamin hit the proverbial nail on the head by calling the ultimate overriding demand of the Palestinians (and by default all Muslim nations) exactly what it is, he also drove home the incontrovertible historical reality that the Palestinians want the Jewish “ancestral homeland” to be absent of all Jews.

It was horrifically pathetic and tragically “absurd” (irrational, hideously bizarre) enough for the Nazis to try to eliminate all Jews in Germany (also from all of Europe). It is no less appalling to remove the Jews from their own land, which is the outrageous intention of the Palestinians.

Indeed, Benjamin Netanyahu’s charge that Palestinian leaders want all Jews to leave Israel is shocking and provocative; but it is also poignantly proper. His description of “ethnic cleansing” is NOT an exaggeration.

Although a member of Netanyahu’s political party, Likud, Energy and Water Resources Minister Yuval Steintz, nevertheless, expressed what nearly all Jews and Palestinians already know to be true; what most of the Western World sweeps under the global carpet through ignorance, or deliberately because they don’t want to admit the real Palestinian agenda.

Said Yuval Steintz:

“It’s not the prime minister who is talking about ethnic cleansing. The prime minister’s remarks reflect what the Palestinians themselves are saying. [The Palestinians] talk about ethnic cleansing in their own school system and speeches. Netanyahu told the truth. When the Palestinians talk about being ‘cleansed’ of Jews, they don’t mean just (in) Judea and Samaria, but rather the entire country.”

It was no secret that Netanyahu’s reference to “otherwise enlightened countries” (that endorse and even encourage the idea of expelling all Jews from the West Bank, which also includes East Jerusalem) included first and foremost the United States. Thus, I’m certain that the Israeli Prime Minister wasn’t surprised at the reaction of the US State Department.

Here are some of the words of State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau:

“We obviously strongly disagree with the characterization that those who oppose settlement activity or view it as an obstacle to peace are somehow calling for ethnic cleansing of Jews from the West Bank. We believe that using that type of terminology is inappropriate and unhelpful. We share the view of every past U.S. administration and the strong consensus of the international community that ongoing settlement activity is an obstacle to peace. We continue to call on both sides to demonstrate with actions and policies a genuine commitment to the two-state solution.”

She went on to condemn Israel’s “illegal outposts and unauthorized settlement units.”

Ironically, because of monumental blunders in yielding to international pressure, Israel herself has contributed mistakenly to forced removal of her own people. Something that Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders who now “see the light” never want to happen again. Although there are a few other less traumatic instances of Israel giving back part of their land to placate international demands (whims), I’m referring to two grievous gaffes in Israel’s remarkable history as a nation reborn from the floods of dispersion and the fires of Nazi death camps.

The first was to relinquish control of Temple Mount back to the Jordanians (with what is now functional jurisdiction assumed by the Palestinian Authority) after Israel’s victory in the amazing Six-Day War, including the IDF’s recapture of their holy city, Jerusalem.

(IDF Taking Jerusalem in 1967 Six-Day War)

The second was former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s eviction of 10,000 Jews from the Gaza Strip in 2005, which fits the stronger, more overt definition of ethnic cleansing: “systematic forced removal of an ethnic or religious groups from a given territory with the intent of making it ethnically homogeneous” (Wikipedia).

Indeed, both of these tragic events resulted in “cleansing” of Jews from a part of their homeland—which the Gaza and West Bank are and always will be.

It would be absolutely no different than the United States disallowing American citizens to visit the Statue of Liberty. Instead, allow only the French who gave us this monument as a gift of appreciation for creating and continuing life, liberty, and equality in the New World.

Or permitting only the British to step foot on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Or only those who (still) support the Confederate idea and principal of succession from the Union, to visit the Lincoln Memorial. Or, to return the eastern half of Washington D.C. to England, because we believe too much was taken from the British in the Revolutionary War; or that we should have remained under the ethnic domination and control of England to begin with. These are not merely exaggerations for effect. They are precise parallels to what the Palestinians already have in part and want even more in full … to expel all Jews from all of Israel.

The Real Palestinian Mindset and Motive

We all need to understand one glaring grotesque fact. Since the United Nations in November, 1947 granted nation status to Israel and the Jews declared that statehood in May, 1948, Muslim nations surrounding Israel (then later Arabs within Israel that adopted the appellation Palestinian, previously applied primarily to Jews living in the territory called Palestine), the Arabs have had one ultimate objective: Ethnic cleansing of the Jews from Israel.

That malicious mindset and motive has never changed. Only their methods to achieve these gruesome goals have changed.

In each of these wars, Arab leaders said something to the effect (paraphrasing), “We will drive the Jews into the Sea.” Or, “We will annihilate Israel.” Or, “Not one Jew will be left.”

When the Muslims finally realized they couldn’t eradicate the Jews or even defeat Israel by conventional warfare, they resorted to terrorism—mostly by Palestinians from within Israel. This included thousands of mortars and missiles lobbed into Israel from the Gaza Strip after the Israeli government evicted its own people from the Gaza (with the proposed purpose of better protecting them). And thousands more rockets launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon into northern Israel. More recently, dozens of “lone-wolf” assassins killing Israelis with axes, knives, guns, and cars.

Make no mistake. Even these individual lone-wolf attackers (most of them very young in age) were doing their sordid part to rid Israel of Jews, one, two, or three at a time. All the while, Palestinian propaganda (lies) convinces their own people and most of the Western world that the obstacle to peace are Jewish settlements in the West Bank! Thus, the only solution is to cleanse the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, of all Jews. Of course, that’s not enough. Which explains why many of the lone-wolf attackers also murdered Jews in “West Jerusalem” and Tel Aviv and other Israeli towns.

If anyone thinks that “cleansing” is too harsh of a description, I will once again quote the words of Palestinian Authority President Abbas, as cited in a couple of previous Eye of Prophecy articles. “We must not permit the filthy feet of the Jews to desecrate our holy places.” He was referring first and foremost to Temple Mount. Do you see the connection, the irony? Clean those filthy feet of the Jews by removing them completely … ethnic cleansing.

(Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas)

In a recent Eye of Prophecy article, Palestinian Propaganda Is Pure Poison, I quoted US State Department John Kirby’s latest tirade against Israel in general and West Bank Jewish settlements in particular. The earlier mentioned quote from State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau mimics Kirby’s words.

Said Kirby (which he has said before as noted in a previous Eye of Prophecy article) in denouncement of the Israeli government that they were, “…systematically undermining the prospects for a two-state solution by engaging in settlement activity, which is corrosive to the cause of peace.”

I then quoted Alan Baker, former Israeli ambassador to Canada, who, along with others, justifiably criticized our State Department’s shortsighted, uninformed, and warped perspective of the Israeli, Palestinian conflict. Here is his quote:

“Reading the statement (Kirby’s statement) … An average reader having landed from space, would only conclude that Israel’s settlement activity is the source of all evil in the world, and the United States is waging a massive war of Armageddon against this evil. No international terror, no ISIS, no Iranian nuclear threat, no Syria, no Hezbollah, no Hamas, no hunger, no global warming. Only Israel’s settlements!”

Although Alan Baker’s statement was melodramatic, it was nonetheless accurate. Our US Presidential Staff doesn’t want to take the time and effort needed to fully investigate and comprehend the veiled Palestinian plan, which is no different than surrounding Muslim nations who want the Jews out of Israel. Thus, our State Department has reprehensively replaced the real source of Palestinian animosity toward in Israel in particular and Muslim hatred of Jews in general, with the preposterous supposition that a handful of Jewish settlements (compared to the large number of Arab settlements) in the West Bank is the sole cause of all Palestinian woes.

Instead, of catching up on the true history of the Middle East and coming to terms with the real agenda of not only the Palestinians but virtually all Muslim nations, our US State Department is determined to leave their executive head in the sand, and continue to blame Israel for a few Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

That is why Benjamin Netanyahu believed it was finally time to make a tougher statement so that the world would stand up and take notice of the true intentions of Israel’s enemies. To make sure that all interested parties fully grasp the underlying short-term agenda and long-term objective of the Palestinians and all Arab countries. Which is complete elimination (cleansing) of all Jews in Israel, whether a Palestinian State is created or not.

Things to Ponder

As said several times in past Eye of Prophecy articles, and as some of you know: The real strife between Arabs and Jews goes back to ancient Biblical times, all the way to Ishmael and Isaac. Then Esau and Jacob. Both of these older brothers hated the younger, as did their descendants. That brutally baseless and incessantly irrational “anti-Semitism” spread to Middle East countries, then to the whole world.

However, it’s deeper than racial hatred of the Jews. It is defiance, rejection, and replacement of the God of the Bible—the Creator of the universe and mankind who chose the Jews for a special purpose—in favor of man-made religions and gods and totalitarian state systems.

And so the Psalmist pleads with God for Israel:

“O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones. ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence’” (Psalm 83:1-4).

We need to astutely understand God’s plan for the human race: The Kingdom of God will one day be established on this earth.

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: ‘The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever … We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign” (Revelation 11:15-17).

Yet Scripture is abundantly clear that there are two parts to God’s providential plan of personally dwelling with mankind in his kingdom on earth.

1. Personal Salvation of both Jews and Gentiles through the Son of God, Messiah Jesus: The Kingdom of God is used interchangeably in Scripture with the Kingdom of Heaven. But an up close analysis of the different passages and contexts and applications shows that the Kingdom of Heaven more specifically relates to God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) establishing their spiritual residence in the hearts and lives of all who believe and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, through the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life … There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16, 18). [See John 14:15-17 & John 16:5-15 on the Holy Spirit’s action of leading people to salvation and then indwelling those whom Christ has saved].

Yes, our great and glorious God and His majestic Son, Messiah Jesus loves you and me and the Jews and the Palestinians equally. The eternal destiny of every human being depends upon whether we choose everlasting life through Christ or eternal death by rejecting him as Savior.

2. The Kingdom of God will be literally established in the Holy City of Jerusalem, in the Holy (Promised) Land of Israel: From there the entire world will be governed by Messiah Jesus. There is a heavy price to be paid by those who mistreat God’s chosen people—set apart to bring the Messiah and God’s Word to the whole world—and who seek to divide the land of Israel.

Concerning God’s plan for Israel:

“This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord: This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves” (Zechariah 12:1-3).

Those who devise boycotts and sanctions against Israel; those who hate the apple of God’s eye; those who desire to “clean” the House of David (Israel) by removing all Jews from their homeland (or anywhere else), should take heed.

“At the time of those events, says the Lord, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming by people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land” (Joel 3:1-2).

God has already disciplined Israel for her disobedience. It was a severe and long punishment—exile to foreign nations lasting for some 2,500 years … ending in 1967.

Thus, no one should ever seek to harm or divide Israel, or to side with her enemies.

“The day is near when, I, the Lord, will judge all godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads” (Obadiah 1:15).

Just a few days ago, I filled my truck up for $1.73 a gallon. Gasoline for less than two dollars a gallon! Can you believe it? For those of you who have a thirteen year old teenager, the price of gas hasn’t been that low since your child was born. For baby boomers who can barely remember cheap gas, it’s something we never expected to see again … along with a gallon of milk for less than a dollar (we’re still waiting for that one).

This free fall of fuel prices is pretty amazing. Although the cost is creeping back up, economic experts do not expect gas to rise above three dollars a gallon for quite some time. The bottom line is a savings of hundreds of dollars a year for many motorists. Let’s hear it for so many hard-working moms and dads!

So what does the price of gas have to do with God’s sovereignty? In my opinion, absolutely everything. Through God’s gift of free will to the human race, the Bible is clear that he allows individuals and nations to make choices that affect their lives and destiny. But throughout history, Scripture is equally clear that God sometimes intervenes in human affairs, both naturally and supernaturally to accomplish his short-term and long-term purposes for the human race. Many passages in Scripture speak of his divine sovereignty, such as: “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalms 103:19, NASB). And, “God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne” (Psalms 47:8).

Permit me to quote an excerpt from my book, Out of the Abyss:

We don’t know what’s going to happen next hour, let alone next month or year. Yet, by our decisions and actions, by our good choices, bad choices or indifferent choices, we can change things that otherwise would or would not have occurred. We can also be changed by the decisions and behavior of others, by events beyond our control.

How then, does God still achieve his plan? How does he circumvent the innumerable bad decisions that we all have made, not to mention the evil in the world to accomplish his purpose? Okay, I’ll give you a hint: Because he is God! This isn’t just the humble opinion of one man, nor is it a cop-out, nor is it an oversimplified answer to an otherwise unfathomable question or concept.

To be sure, however, the “hint” does beg the question: he can do anything because he is God. But that still doesn’t explain how he does it. So we are left begging the question because it is simply beyond our natural, finite comprehension; which is why God doesn’t demand or even ask that we completely grasp his providential sovereignty. If we could wrap our finite minds around his infinite omnipotence and omniscience, I suppose that we would be God.

Ironically, that’s exactly what most of mankind, including natural scientists, human secularists, occult spiritualists, God-less governments and agnostic academia in general try to do. They inevitably ascribe to themselves the controlled capacity, the distinctive domain, and the potent position of determining their destiny. And, if you will but afford them the privilege and opportunity; if you will “give them an ear,” they will gladly assist you in discovering your origin and purpose for life. Ultimately, if you yield complete attention and allegiance, they will be delighted to direct your future (page 22).

In the global arena of fuel supplies, for decades we have been at the mercy of the OPEC nations, chief among them, Saudi Arabia. But those days may be coming to an end. In a recent interview with an OPEC representative, the stated reason for OPEC’s continued production of an abundant supply of oil is because they want to maintain a market share to compete with increased output of non-OPEC oil and gas reserves. If this means tolerating losses due to competitive declining prices, then so be it. Actually, what it really means is that they are willing to be less greedy and settle for less than the enormous profits of the past! For an indefinite period of time, Saudi Arabia—including some smaller OPEC countries—can and will absorb the revenue loss from lower fuel prices.

Along with (especially) Israel, the United States, and the European Union, Saudi Arabia is also deeply disturbed with Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Saudi Arabia’s enormous distrust of a nuclear-armed Iran trumps their need for vast wealth. Although they (tacitly) support the idea of an American (or even Israeli) preemptive military strike against Iran’s nuclear plants, they also appreciate the debilitating effect of economic sanctions against Iran, imposed by the US and/or the EU. However, should America and the EU relax its sanctions in a completely misguided and misunderstood effort to “negotiate” with Iran, OPEC nations aligned against Iran can rely heavily on Iran’s huge loss of revenue from this unparalleled drop in the price of oil.

Most experts agree: It will be extremely difficult for Iran to invest more billions in its nuclear program if, in fact, most of those billions are no longer available. It’s no secret that Iran’s military budget depends desperately on revenue from high oil prices. The tremendous impact of a 50% decrease in the price of a barrel of oil in just the last six months could severely cripple the best laid plans of Iran’s military objectives; indeed, of its entire economy. It would also drastically reduce this Islamic Shi’ite regime’s funding of terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others.

As Daniel Yergin, an expert in oil finances wrote, “The OPEC members in big trouble are the ‘have-nots’—those with small financial reserves and high government budgets.” These have-nots include Russia, Venezuela, and Iran.

Something Positive for a Change

What we have here is an incredible Win-Win situation, when most of the time recent world events have resulted in a Lose-Lose … or at the very best, a Win-Lose scenario. I’m referring to the one-step forward, two steps backward progress against things like a weak global economy, or dealing a blow to one terrorist group like Al-Qaida (death of Osama Bin-Laden); only for another more vicious, more blood-thirsty gang of terrorists to take their place … ISIS.

I’m sure that many Christians in the United States and believers all over the world have prayed that US President Obama and other government leaders will not capitulate to Iran’s distorted and diabolical desire to produce nuclear weapons. Many have voiced their strong disapproval of negotiating with a radical regime whose avowed objective is the destruction of Israel, but also of the country that their Islamic clerics and leaders have often called the Great Satan, none other than the USA.

I firmly believe that God, in his mercy and sovereignty, has heard these prayers. Which can explain the inexplicable, give insight to the inconceivable, provide meaning to the otherwise unfathomable, completely unexpected and (in terms of historically high fuel cost) unprecedented plunge in gas prices. While, at the same time, throwing a giant wrench into the Iran’s nuclear machinery by severely limiting the monies needed to build or buy that machinery.

Make no mistake: Among the myriad of ominous global developments including the ugly resurgence of Anti-Semitism mostly in Europe (of all places … the site of the Holocaust just one generation ago), the most dangerous of all (especially to Israel) is that of a nuclear Iran. So much so that our Republican dominated Senate and House has called upon Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the United States Congress on March 3rd. Many kudos to our legislative leaders for inviting Prime Minister Netanyahu, who knows better than anyone the grave peril to Israel, the Middle East including Arab countries, and virtually the entire world should Iran become nuclear.

And shame on our Presidential staff to scorn the Congressional invitation and refuse to attend this historical event just to snub Israel and her Prime Minister. Under, sadly, the hypocritical pretense of not allowing foreign leaders (politicians) to meet with US executive leaders a few weeks before that foreign country’s election. While at the same time sending Democrat lobbyists to assist Israeli liberal opponents of Netanyahu’s Likud party. I’m not normally one to bash any sitting President, mostly due to my great respect for the most important position in our country, but also in (at least some) deference to the one occupying that position.

But wrong is wrong; right is right. And, no, I’m not equating right or wrong to beauty (for example), which is in the eye of the beholder … a subjective evaluation of the one deciding what is right or wrong. Rather, I’m referring to the truth of Scripture; applicable, in this context, to God’s unmistakable sovereign plans for the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. And, in turn, how nations of the world treat Israel.

To Bless or Curse Israel … The Stakes Are High

We all should be seriously concerned about the growing hostility of our executive branch against Israel, as expressed by this latest friction between our President and Israel’s Prime Minister. I’m not talking about personality differences or variances in political strategy and the like. Instead, I’m getting straight to the heart of the matter, to the heart of God. Which among other things includes a Biblical prophetic warning and (down through the ages) a historically documented fact: Any and all nations who treat Israel with contempt (harassment, oppression, suppression, mockery, denial of Jewish rights to the land, economic sanctions or boycotts, siding with her enemies, and certainly hatred and murder to the vicious extreme of genocide) have paid and will pay a great price. A price exacted by God, himself, as demonstrated against nations listed in Scripture and those in existence during the last days of the end times, which is today’s world.

History is littered with the corpses of nations that attacked or subjugated Israel, only to be utterly defeated and destroyed themselves. Where is mighty Babylon? Have you seen an Assyrian lately? Show me where the Roman Empire is today. Though the contemporary nation of Iran arrogantly boasts of her military might and her capability (now by conventional means, later by nuclear means) to annihilate Israel, what happened to the mighty Persian kings of her gloried past? That Persian Empire is long gone, one of several national victims of God’s sovereign promise to judge nations and peoples that attempted to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.

God’s omnipotent sovereignty will be vividly displayed in Iran’s humiliating defeat during her vain alliance with Russia in the Gog/Magog attack on Israel. However, that doesn’t mean that the United States or any other nation should ignore the profound consequences of endangering or abandoning Israel through reckless negotiations and agreements with countries bent on Israel’s destruction. If we persist in putting Israel in peril, you can bet the farm that this nation will suffer the same fate as ancient Babylon or Persia. That is if you have a house left to bet with even before the great end-times battles begin.

A collapsed economy far worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s or the Great Recession of 2008 may reclaim millions of homes across this once great nation that we love and in which we have the freedom to express that love and to worship the true and living God. But for how long? We need to wake up from our spiritually drunken stupor! We need to pray for God’s mercy. We need to speak up for the truth of God’s salvation. We need to expose the new morality for what it is; where bad is good and good is bad—which is nothing more than age-old immorality wrapped in a contemporary cloak of lies about tolerance and diversity.

Despite the totally unique and diverse feature of Christianity (God through his Son dying for our sins … doing for us what we could not do for ourselves), if you are a Christian you are not diverse. So say those who despise God, Christ, and anyone who claims to have been born-again by the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus. If you believe and repeat the very words of Messiah Jesus, who said that He is the only Way, Truth, and Life; no person can come to God except through Him, then you are not tolerant. Don’t bother those who say otherwise, with the facts. Don’t try to reason with them, because they only know how to argue in a circle.

The fact is: If someone claims that someone else is not diverse (espousing diversity) or not tolerant because of what they believe, then the one making that indictment (by logical definition and by default) is also intolerant. If they accuse someone else of being intolerant, then what does that make them? Tolerant? If so, then one plus one must equal three.

God’s Sovereignty, Expressed through Israel

Even milder mistreatment such as disrespect, denigration, or constant disapproval of Israel will have ramifications. But if we deliberately snub Israel to the point of scorn or humiliation and certainly hatred, then it is a Biblical certainty: God will snub the United States of America, primarily by withdrawing his protection from this country that God blessed from its birth. And that won’t be a pretty sight. To the potential extreme that if we allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, then pray to God that one of those nuclear-tipped missiles doesn’t explode on American soil.

At least for the moment, I believe that God has sovereignly circumvented the folly of this nation and other nation’s ignorance and dismissal of God’s supreme counsel found in Scripture concerning the nation of Israel. Specifically, how abuse of Israel will rebound like the recoil of a powerful weapon against those who despise God’s chosen people/land.

The Lord has extended his grace to believers and unbelievers alike through divine intervention; with regard to the beneficial result of drastically reduced gas prices to help jump start our nation’s still sluggish economy; and at the same time making it much more difficult, if not impossible, for Iran to finish their (not-so-secret) malevolent plan of manufacturing nuclear weapons. At the minimum, it provides more time for Israel to convince the United States and the EU to wake up, to come to their senses and realize that the Iranians mean business. They are absolutely serious about destroying Israel and setting up an Islamic Global Caliphate in which Muslim Sharia law will rule the world. First Israel, then the World is their malicious objective, as is the goal of ISIS and other terrorist groups and even entire nations.

God is so patient. He gives individuals and nations an extraordinary amount of time to change their mind and their ways, to turn to him (unbelievers) and return to him (believers). But only up to a point; eventually even the patience of God will be tested. If we cross red lines established by God or allow other nations to cross those red lines, or erase legitimate red lines that we, ourselves, create; then enough will be enough. One red line already drawn is found in Genesis and in other passages throughout Scripture concerning Israel and Gentile nations. In no uncertain terms, God declares to Abraham and his descendants (Israel): “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

An example of a red-line that the United States created, then retreated from was Syria’s use of chemical weapons against its own people. All threats of retaliation by our President were simply withdrawn. Same thing with the ongoing sanctions against Iran … they are being reduced, not increased in size and severity. Said Florida’s Governor, Jeb Bush (probable Presidential candidate in 2016) about the current Administration: “They draw red lines … then erase them.”

(I have said the same thing in a few Eye of Prophecy articles such as, Let’s Make a Deal, published December 14, 2013, which presents similar challenges found in this article. Also, For Such a Time as This, published March 15, 2014. I would encourage you to click on those articles in the archives of our blog site).

When the Lord shows great favor to us by supernaturally intervening in personal and world events, shouldn’t we acknowledge him in the matter of individual, state, and national affairs; instead of ignoring or even snubbing him in virtually every area of our individual and corporate lives. To say as our Savior, God’s Son, said to his Father just hours before he died a cruel death on a cross, “Yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42, NASB). In fact, God’s sovereign will was done. By raising Christ from the dead, God accomplished his mighty plan of salvation for you and for me. He providentially turned the cruel torture and unjust death of his Son into the greatest episode of human history and the utmost blessing known to mankind.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (II Corinthians 5:21).

“For God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, KJV).

Our Sovereign Lord is just a whisper away. Or if you prefer to shout, then yell!

After God sovereignly shook the Philippian jail, “…to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailor woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, ‘Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!’ The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas … ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…’” (Acts 16:26-31).

So, why don’t you join me in a heartfelt prayer of gratitude to the Most High God and to the Son of God? Whether you doubt there is such a God, or whether you question that Jesus Christ died for your sins and freely gives you redemption through simple faith in him, it will do us all good to acknowledge God’s grace, mercy, and sovereignty. In spite of your doubt, if you are sincerely seeking divine answers and truth, then reach out to God and he will reach back to you. Draw near to him and he will draw near to you. These are God’s promises in Scripture.

Thank you, Lord, for who you are and what you do. You are so great and so very good. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me and rising from the dead so that I can be saved from my sins and have eternal life. Thank you for your providence in the little and big things of my life. I am thankful for lower gas prices. And equally grateful that you have made it more difficult for Israel’s enemies to carry out their threats against your chosen people, but also against nations and the people of those nations who agree with your Word and say with the Psalmist: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12, NASB).

Things to Ponder

More verses in Psalm 33 that was just quoted:

“The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so he understands everything they do. The best-equipped army cannot save a king, nor is great strength enough to save a warrior … But the Lord watches over those who fear (respect, acknowledge, in awe of) him, those who rely on his unfailing love… We put our hope in the Lord, He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone” (Psalms 33:13-22).

Can you … will you say with King David:

“No pagan god (man-made) is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God” (Psalms 86:8-10).

Come on brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s agree with God when he says: “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land” (II Chronicles 7:14).

Great is our God, and greatly to be praised!

May God bless America! May God bless Brazil! May God bless … all peoples and nations whose God is the Lord.

Search:

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.